Canadian food and beverage manufacturers support healthy eating awareness and education initiative

Manufacturers and government work together to educate Canadians about making more informed food choices

TORONTO, Feb. 27, 2012 /CNW/ - Canada's food and beverage manufacturers applaud the government's commitment to continue promoting healthy eating by helping Canadians make more informed nutrition choices.

Food & Consumer Products of Canada (FCPC) and our members know that government, industry and health groups must work together to reduce obesity and other health challenges and we support the government's plan to partner with each sector.

The industry and government been actively engaged in increasing Nutrition Facts table literacy.  Research shows that more than 90 per cent of Canadians look at the Nutrition Facts table. It is the simplest and easiest tool Canadians can use to make more informed food and beverage choices.

In 2010, FCPC and 34 companies partnered with the government on the Nutrition Facts Education Campaign, which promotes the % Daily Value (% DV) on the Nutrition Facts table (NFt). Visit www.healthycanadians.gc.ca/dailyvalue.

In addition, Canada's food and beverage manufacturers continue to reformulate products and introduce new ones into the market to give people even more choices at the grocery store.

QUOTES

"FCPC and our member companies are playing an important role in helping Canadians live healthy active lives, which we take very seriously.  In addition to our partnership with Health Canada on the Nutrition Facts Education Campaign, we look forward to continuing to work closely with the government and health groups to help Canadians make more informed nutrition choices."
- Nancy Croitoru, President & CEO, FCPC

FACTS

• In the first year of the campaign, messaging was placed on more than 300 million units of products.
• The food, beverage and consumer product industry is the largest employer in Canadian manufacturing, employing almost 300,000 Canadians.

Food & Consumer Products of Canada is Canada's largest industry association representing the companies that manufacture and distribute the vast majority of food, beverage and consumer goods found on grocery store shelves. Our members are all based in Canada, providing jobs to almost 300,000 Canadians, and include small and large; multi-nationals and Canadian-owned companies. Learn more at www.fcpc.ca

Catherine Thomas
Food & Consumer Products of Canada
[phone] ext 2276
[email protected]